Treatment of leaves.



UNITED ST PATENT @FFIQE.

GEORGE RONALD MOGAHAN, OF rArsLE r, sOorLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JAMEs LO AN BENJAMIN HAMILTON, or Los ANGELEs, CALIFORNIA.

TREATMENT OF LEAVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

To (0 10/1/0110 it Duty coll/007%:

Be it known that I, GEORGE RONALD MO- GAHAN, engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Paisley, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment of Leaves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the treatment of leaves to render them suitable for souvenirs, presents, mementos, and as a basis for seasonable greetings, mottoes, figures, or the like.

In order that my said invention may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended one sheet of illustrative drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates the application of my improvements to the preparation of a souvenir, while Fig. 2 shows a leaf adapted as an ornament on a sachet or the like.

In both these views the skeletonizing effect which in practice is produced over the whole of the leaf is only partially indicated at a.

Any suitably-prepared leaf may be so engraved, perforated, or partially or wholly l skeletonized as to be rendered partly transparent by removing the softer or pulpy portion and leaving the harder or fibrous structure thereof more or less. Any portion may be blocked out and left unskeletonizedas the lettering b in Fig. l and the ring 0 in Fig. 2to represent various forms or arrangements of letters, words, figures, shapes of obj ects, and the like, painted Or unpainted. The leaf, as in Fig. 1, may be prepared as a souvenir by itself or it may be arranged with suitable plain or decorated backings or backgrounds of silk or the like, as in Fig. 2, or with cases or covers made of card, paper, or other materials. The leaf is thoroughly dried, preferably under pressure, and may be heated before treatment, or boiling of the leaves will in some cases facilitate the operation. I

The method of preparation is as follows: A stencil of the words, figures, designs, or the like which it is desired to produce on the leaf is prepared, and this being laid upon the leaf the exposed portions are acted 011 by 5 means of a brush or the like, formed of bristles, hairs, fibers, or fine wires, which is l struck firmly and repeatedly upon the leaf j until the pulpy portion of the leaf is broken 1 up and can be removed. l/Vhen the whole 1 leaf is to be treated, no stencil will be required. Instead of using a stencil the parts i to be protected from the action of the brush I may be protected by a coating of strong gum l or the like or any suitable varnish which will j resist the action of the bristles. In some 1 cases the brush may be made with vacant l spaces among the bristles to represent letters I or other designs, which would leave correl sponding parts of the leaf unaffected by the treatment. The designs when produced may be colored or gilt, and the skeletonized leaves may be mounted in any desired manner, such as on sachets, which may have photographs or pictures added to them, as indicated in Fig. 2. Tobacco, coffee, or other suitable leaves 1 may be so treated to form advertisements l for shop-windows and for many other purposes. I What I claim as my invention, and desire I to secure by Letters Patent, isj 1. The process of preparing skeletonized natural leaves by subjecting them to the beating action of a brush-like implement to break up and remove the pulpy portion substantially as described.

2. The process of preparing skeletonized natural leaves showing words, designs or the like by protecting portions of same and subjecting the remainder to the beating action of a brush-like implement to break up I and remove the pulpy portions substanj tially as described. j In testimony whereof I have signed my I name to this specification in the presence of 1 two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE RONALD MOGAHAN.

Witnesses: l ROBERT CLEGHORN THOMSON, l WILLIAM RUTHERFORD. 

